Advancing Opportunity in the AI Age
This session will critically assess the power of AI and how we can ensure it is ethical, responsible and accessible to all. Bringing remarkable innovations and unique challenges, panelists will explore how we can ensure AI is used as a force for good.
Speakers
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Mark TewksburyOlympic Champion Swimmer and Vice President, Canadian Olympic CommitteeMark Tewksbury
Counsellor
Olympic Champion Swimmer and Vice President, Canadian Olympic Committee
Mark Tewksbury first came to prominence as a record-breaking backstroke swimmer. His sixteen-year athletic career included 21 national titles, 7 world records, Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals, and a cover appearance on TIME magazine. When he publicly came out in 1998, Mark was one of the first openly gay Olympic Champions in the world and has been a leader with the global 2SLGBTQ+ movement ever since. Mark has been one of the most sought-after inspirational speakers since taking to the podium over 30 years ago. Since 2007, Mark and business partner, Olympic coach Debbie Muir, have brought their Great Traits leadership training programs to thousands of corporate audiences worldwide. In 2019, he was awarded a Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for his work in gender inclusion and sexual diversity. In 2020, Mark was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest civilian honor. In 2022, Mark represented Canada as part of the Honours Procession at Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral.
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Ravy PorPartner in AI & Data / FounderRavy Por
Partner in AI & Data / Founder
Ravy is a Partner and Leader in Artificial Intelligence and Data at Deloitte, where she oversees specialized experts including AI strategists, data scientists, generative AI professionals, and engineers. With 17 years of experience, she spearheads initiatives across diverse industries and collaborates closely with business leaders, leveraging data to empower organizations in achieving their strategic objectives through the optimization of AI and cloud technologies.
Actively involved in the AI and emerging technology ecosystem, Ravy sits on the expert committee of the Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital, the advisory committee on technological innovation of the AMF, the financial markets authority in Quebec, and has served on the board of directors of CDPQ, a Canadian global investment group.
She has built strong AI communities to foster best practices, sharing knowledge and interdisciplinary collaboration across various industries. She is also the founder of the non-profit organization "Héros de chez nous," with a mission to democratize AI education and literacy among Canadian youth. Her accomplishments have been recognized with several honors, including being listed in Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women, Women Leadership Awards, Women in Technology, Emerging Leader of the Université de Montréal, and the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers.
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Kimberly BryantFounder and CEO, The Black Innovation Lab, Ascend VenturesKimberly Bryant
Counsellor
Founder and CEO, The Black Innovation Lab, Ascend Ventures
Ascend VenturesKimberly is a renowned technology industry leader, visionary and founder and CEO of The Black Innovation Lab by Ascend Ventures. As the CEO of ASCEND Ventures, Kimberly is committed to creating opportunities for marginalized founders building impact-driven companies. With her flagship Black Innovation Lab, she cultivates and invests in a pipeline of leaders who use technology to make a societal impact while creating pathways to equity and generational wealth through entrepreneurship and ownership. Before ASCEND Ventures, Kimberly founded Black Girls CODE, a social-change organization aimed at introducing girls of color aged 6-18 to technology and computer science, with a focus on entrepreneurship. Under her leadership, Black Girls CODE grew from a grassroots initiative to an international organization with chapters across the U.S. and South Africa and more than 100,000 students. Kimberly is dedicated to changing the face of technology by investing in opportunities for women, girls and all, using technology as a lever for progress.
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Dr Fay Cobb PaytonProfessor Emerita, Researcher, Entrepreneur and International SpeakerDr Fay Cobb Payton
Counsellor
Professor Emerita, Researcher, Entrepreneur and International Speaker
North Carolina State UniversityDr. Fay Cobb Payton is an award-winning researcher, international speaker and entrepreneur. She is a Professor Emerita and was a Full Professor (with Tenure) of Information Technology/Analytics at North Carolina State University. She is currently a Visiting Scholar of Inclusive Innovation at Rutgers University - Newark. She completed a rotation as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation where she initiated the CISE Minority Serving Institution Research Expansion Program, and worked on several initiatives, such as Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science; AI Fairness, Equity, Accountability & Transparency; and Research Expansion and Cloud Computing with partnerships with Amazon, Google and Microsoft. She received the NSF Director’s Award during her rotation at the agency. Dr. Payton worked in industry as an engineer, developer and consultant prior to earning her doctoral degree. She serves on advisory boards of the ACM and ASEE, and is a Forbes AI Contributor. She is the author of Leveraging Intersectionality: Seeing and Not Seeing, and a board member, consultant, public and keynote speaker who has appeared on or cited in Scientific American, MIT Tech Review, Essence Magazine, Forbes, IEEE Spectrum, Aspen Institute, CBS Radio Network, Sunrise America, Financial Review, NPR and others.